Is there a need for a better bike padding/protection system to use with folding bikes when touring with air travel?

I've read that some people are comfortable taking the hinge bolts off their Brompton, padding a few selective areas, and then just putting it in a thin bag (e.g. IKEA Dimpa) for checked luggage. I like some extra protection myself, but I don't want to carry a heavy, padded bag, or a yoga mat, etc., while touring. Last time out, I missed my return flight while fiddling with lining my Dimpa bag with cardboard sheets outside the airport. I should have known better, but it took longer than expected. And the whole process of scrounging up cardboard in the morning, strapping it to the bag and bike for the ride to the airport, etc., was a lot of hassle.

I've got an idea for a small, lightweight protection system that can be stashed in the bottom of a touring bag or backpack, and then used to protect the bike for a return flight home, in checked baggage. It would provide much, much better protection than cardboard, but the limitation is that it would be a single-use item. I can make it for about US$15 (maybe less with mass production), so selling it for US$20 seems realistic. Sorry, no other details to be divulged yet.

Are other people feeling the need for such a system? Or are the people who do similar tours already happy with their setups?

Having just dealt with unhelpful Lufthansa check-in staff at SFO for long-haul flight back to South Africa with a brand-new Brompton, I must say I would be *very* interested in a lightweight protection system.

I ended up checking the bike which cost me $33 for a box (which the bike fitted nicely) and plastic wrap to keep prying fingers out. I padded the box with lots of clothes but it was not ideal.

Had 30 hours to think that there must be a better way of flying with a Brompton, given that getting it past check-in and security as carry-on baggage is *always* going to be an matter of luck rather than a sure thing.